John Hansens Training Diary Week of June 15th 2008

by: John Hansen - June 23rd, 2008

John Hansen’s Training Diary – Week of June 15th, 2008

Sunday, June 15th, 2008
My weight today was down to 203.5 pounds and my waist is still holding out at 33 ½”. I was going to do cardio early in the morning because I had three clients to train this morning but I slept a little late so I skipped the cardio.

Today was Father’s Day so I went to my parents house in the afternoon to celebrate the holiday with my Dad (and Mom). My brother stopped by later with his family and they had dinner together. I was a good, starving bodybuilder and I slowly drank my flavorless ice water while everyone around me heartily ate roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as delicious as it looked.

When my Mom brought out desserts (yes, that’s plural), it was time for me to head off and check my email in the other room. Not that the homemade chocolate chip cookies, the oatmeal cookies or the brownies looked that good, I just wanted to leave the table and stay up to date on the incoming emails on a Sunday afternoon. (Only 3 more weeks, only 3 more weeks, only 3 more weeks)…..

It was typical off day for me. I ate seven meals and kept my carbs very low, almost at 130 grams, which is very low for me. My protein was only around 260 so I should have probably had another protein drink to bring that up. Here is exactly what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – 4.06 oz lean ground turkey, 120 grams sweet potato, 3.28 oz broccoli
Meal 3 – 5.25 oz orange roughy, 134 grams asparagus
Meal 4 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 6 – 1 egg, 7 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 16 grams natural peanut butter
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2390 calories with 263 grams of protein, 133 grams of carbohydrates and 80 grams of fats.

Back to the gym tomorrow. I have my photo shoot with Optimum Nutrition this Friday so I’m hoping to tighten up even more and get the waist down to 33 ¼” before the shoot.

Monday, June 16th, 2008
My weight today was up a little to 205 pounds and the waist was still at 33 ½”. Matt and I had to do a late night workout again today. I was hoping to do my cardio in the morning again but I blew it off until after the workout.

Today, we did the Rep Range program again with our workout. My weights were about the same as the last time I did this workout. Since we have two workouts for each muscle group that we alternate and because we are doing a Heavy workout for a week followed by the Rep Range workout, it has been exactly 4 weeks since we did this workout last. Because my strength and energy are so low now, I’m happy to just repeat what I did a month ago.

With the Rep Range workout, the protocol is to do 7-9 reps for the first exercise, 10-12 reps on the second exercise, 13-15 reps on the third exercise and 16-20 reps on the fourth exercise (if there is one). We repeated this repetition range with each bodypart. Here is how the workout went today:

Bench Press 225x9, 245x8, 255x6
Incline DB Press 100x10, 100x10, 100x9
Flyes 65x13, 65x12, 65x12
DB Pull-overs 80x16, 80x16
Triceps Pushdowns 100x12, 120x9, 120x8, 120x8
Decline Ext. 100x12, 120x10, 120x10
Dips BWx10, BWx9, BWx9
Seated Calf Raises 100x20, 150x15, 200x9, 200x8
Standing Calf Raises 430x12, 520x8, 520x8

Cardio – 20 minutes on Treadmill, 3.3 mph @ 9.5 incline

I made sure I ate enough protein today while still keeping the carbs under 200. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 4.83 oz orange roughy, 147 grams asparagus
Meal 4 – 3.92 oz lean ground turkey, 118 grams sweet potato, 2.96 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold
Meal 6 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 7 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 8 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 9 – 3.7 oz round steak, 46 grams pasta sauce, 1 scoop Whey Gold, ½ cup green peas

Today’s diet came out 2629 calories with 303 grams of protein, 196 grams of carbs and 63 grams of fats.

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
My weight today was at 203 pounds and the waist is still holding steady at 33 ½”. This was a little disappointing because usually the waist goes down on Tuesday but maybe it will go down tomorrow.

I trained legs today because Matt has to go out of town this weekend so we are going to train Monday – Thursday instead of training Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, which is supposed to be our new schedule.

We had to train really late again today because I did not finish up with my last client until 7 pm so we didn’t start the workout until after 7:30 at night. I was really, really dragging today and the thought of doing a hard leg workout was tough, to say the least. This diet is taking its toll on me and I am so ready for it to end. This has been a long diet (this is the 22nd week) and my workouts are suffering from it. Here is how the workout went:

Hanging Knee Raises BWx40, BWx30
Kneeling Cable Crunches 150x25, 170x20
Leg Extensions (Flex) 150x20, 180x15, 225x9, 255x9
Pause Squats 225x10, 255x10, 275x10
Hack Squats – 1 ½ reps 225x13, 225x12, 225x12
DB Leg Curls 65x10, 75x8, 75x8
Stiff-leg Deadlifts 185x12, 235x10

My diet today was right on target. The carbs were below 200 again and the protein was very close to 300 grams. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – 6.42 oz orange roughy, 142 grams asparagus
Meal 3 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 4 – 3.74 oz lean ground turkey, 134 grams sweet potato, 3.28 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 6 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 7 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 8 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2698 calories with 294 grams of protein, 199 grams of carbohydrates and 72 grams of fats. The breakdown for today’s diet was 44% protein, 30% carbs and 24% fats.

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
My weight today was again at 203 pounds and the waist is still holding at 33 ½”. I was too busy this morning training clients to do cardio so I just took the day off.

I dropped any foods with high sodium today to get rid of any water retention. That meant no more egg whites, which was a real drag as that has become my favorite meal of the day since I’ve been on my diet. Eating orange roughy first thing in the morning is not my idea of a good time.

I wasn’t counting my calories and carbs as I went through the day and I ended up eating much less than normal. My calories were only around 2000 for the day and my carbs were at an all time low of 111. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 7.23 oz orange roughy, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 10.26 oz orange roughy, 158 grams asparagus
Meal 4 – 4.09 oz lean ground turkey, 106 grams sweet potato, 2.96 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – 3.25 oz round steak, 150 grams asparagus
Meal 6 – 2 scoops Whey Gold
Meal 7 – 2 scoops Whey Gold

Today’s diet added up to a very low 2037 calories with 236 grams of protein, 111 grams of carbohydrates and 51 grams of fats. This breaks down to 46% protein, 22% carbs and 23% fats.

Thursday, June 19th, 2008
My weight today was at a very low 202 pounds and the waist was down to 33 ¼”. Wow, I’m almost there now. I’m only about a quarter of an inch away from being in contest condition as long as I keep my muscle fullness.

I was training at night again today. I was supposed to train delts and calves yesterday but I was so burned out from the hard workouts, the early cardio and not enough sleep, I really needed yesterday off. I was back in the gym today to do shoulders and calves. It was a pretty low-key workout and I didn’t push myself too hard because I am dragging so much from this restricted diet. Here is how it went:

Seated Military Press 135x10, 185x8, 185x8
Side Lateral Raises 40x12, 45x10, 45x10, 45x10
Bent-Over Lateral Raises 30x15, 35x13, 35x12
Seated Barbell Shrugs 225x20, 275x15, 275x15
Donkey Calf Raises 190 plus 45 lbs x 25, 190 plus 135 lbs x 25, 190 plus 180 lbs x 25
Leg Press Calf Raises 540x15, 630x12, 720x12

Cardio – 25 minutes on Treadmill – 3.3 mph @ 9.5 incline

My diet today was back to normal. I kept the sodium restricted again but my calories, protein and carbs were more in line with what I normally eat on a training day. Here was my diet for today:

Meal 1 – 5.04 oz orange roughy, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoop Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 7.4 oz orange roughy, 166 grams asparagus
Meal 4 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 2.93 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – 4.62 oz lean ground turkey, 142 grams sweet potato, 153 grams asparagus
Meal 6 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 7 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 8 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2545 calories with 287 grams of protein, 190 grams of carbohydrates and 67 grams of fats. This breaks down to 45% protein, 30% carbs and 24% fats.

Friday, June 20th, 2008
Today my weight was down to an all-time low (for this year) of 201.5 pounds and the waist was at 33 ¼”. I had my photo shoot with Optimum Nutrition at 2:30 pm and then I was scheduled to work the Optimum/ABB booth at the Jr. Nationals at 6 pm.

I was planning on going to the gym and training back and biceps today but I got up really early this morning to do my cardio and I was pretty wiped out after I finished training my clients. I decided to just relax and take a short nap in the afternoon before heading out to the contest. I have really been burning the candle at both ends by going to bed late and getting up early every day.

I did my cardio at 5:00 am this morning and then trained a client at 5:30. I kept my diet on track all day, even bringing my meals with me to the O’Hare Hyatt so I would stay on track. However, after my photo shoot was over, I felt a little flat and depleted so I indulged a little by eating several of the sample Steel Bars at the Optimum booth.

When I got home from the Friday night pre-judging, I had a cheat meal of egg whites and salsa. Pretty sad when a cheat meal is egg whites but that is what I’ve been craving ever since cutting it out the other day when I cut back on my sodium. It felt good mentally to get my first photo shoot out of the way and “cheat” a little on the diet.

Saturday, June 21st, 2008
My weight this morning was up a few pounds to 204 and my waist actually did go up from the little bit of cheating I did yesterday. It increased from 33 ¼” to 33 ½”. I was back on the diet today 100% and feeling much better today than yesterday.

I went to the gym in the afternoon to train back and biceps before I went back to the Jr. Nationals contest on Saturday night. Tonight was the Finals so this was the best part of the weekend events.
My workout today was ok but I didn’t set any records. My lower back was feeling a little strained so I went light on T-Bar Rows. My strength and energy, in general, are pretty low every day so I’m just doing what I can in the gym. The last thing I want at this point is to injure myself. Better to just get a good pump and train moderately heavy instead of pushing myself too hard when my body is so depleted. I only have a couple more weeks until my photo shoot in California so the next two weeks are only going to be moderately heavy workouts.

Close-Grip Pulldowns 130x12, 180x10
Wide-Grip Chins 25x8, 25x8, 25x7
One-Arm DB Rows 100x12, 120x10, 120x10
T-Bar Rows 3 plates plus 25 lb x 12, 3 plates plus 50 lbs x 10, 3 plates plus 50 lbs x 8
Hyper Extensions BWx20, BWx20, BWx20
Alternate DB Curls 45x9, 55x8, 55x8
Preacher Curls 80x10, 90x8

With my diet today, I had another “cheat meal” of egg whites and salsa before I went to bed when I got home from the contest. This drastically increased my protein but my carbs were still under 200 grams for the day. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 4 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 5 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 6 – 4.2 oz lean ground turkey, 128 grams sweet potato, 150 grams asparagus
Meal 7 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 10 – 1 egg, 7 egg whites, 3 T. salsa

Today’s diet came out to 2934 calories with 341 grams of protein, 198 grams of carbohydrates and 77 grams of fats. The breakdown for today’s diet is 46% protein, 27% carbs and 24% fats.

I’m looking forward to the next two weeks and getting super ripped for my photo shoot! I’m almost there and I can see the finish line….

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